News

James David Christie‘ greeting word

Dr. Frank Corbin, Director of Chapel Music at Assumption College, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA, again hosted the second North American round of the Tariverdiev International Organ Competition. Dr. Corbin took charge of all the publicity, fundraising and the arrangements with Assumption College for the competition, which took place on Monday, June 29, in the Assumption College Chapel. We are very grateful to Dr. Corbin for all his wonderful work and his loyal dedication to the Mikael Tariverdiev International Organ Competition.

The jury was truly international and represented the USA, Canada, South America and Europe - Dr. Ezequiel Menendez is a native of Argentina, South America, and is now director of music at the Cathedral of St. Joseph in Hartford, Connecticut; Dr. Patricia Snyder is a native of Ontario, Canada, and is an adjunct professor of organ at the University of Hartford, Connecticut; Dr. Steven G. Young is associate professor of music at Bridgewater State University, Massachusetts; and, representing the new generation of recent international competition winners were BАlint Karosi, a native of Budapest, Hungary, now living in the USA, and the First Prize winner of the 2008 Johann Sebastian Bach International Organ Competition in Leipzig, Germany; and, Joseph Ripka, from the state of Minnesota, who is the 2008 First Prize winner of the Dublin International Organ Competition.

The competition concluded with the awards ceremony and a recital at the Assumption College Chapel by the 2007 First Prize winner of the Fifth Mikael Tariverdiev International Organ Competition, Robert Horton (USA). The recital was dedicated to the memory of Songsun Lee, who died in a tragic automobile accident on April 18, 2009, in Florida (USA), where she served as organist at the Vero Beach Community Church; Ms. Lee, a native of Seoul, Korea who had just finished her studies in the United States, was to have competed in the North American round this year. She delighted in getting to learn the organ music of Mikael Tariverdiev and was planning a concert featuring his organ music for May 2009. Ms. Lee was a delightful young woman and had been a prizewinner in several USA organ competitions and was already an active concert artist. She was certainly one of the future stars in the organ world and we are greatly saddened by her death - we extend our heartfelt condolences to her family.

We would like to thank our dear friend, Vera Tariverdieva, for her tireless efforts and support in promoting this exciting competition - she is truly the Russian "ambassador of the organ" and we are very grateful for all she does. We send all out best wishes from the North Hemisphere for a wonderful final round in Kaliningrad of the 2009 Sixth Mikael Tariverdiev International Organ Competition!

James David Christie

Chair and Professor of Organ: Oberlin Conservatory of Music, Oberlin, Ohio, USA Distinguished Artist in Residence: College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, Massachusetts USA Organist of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Boston, Massachusetts, US